While it was practically in vogue in 2007 boom times to splurge on splashy vodka brands like Grey Goose and Belvedere, businesses and consumers alike can no long afford the mark-up in the current economy.
“The so-called Grey Goose Effect is dead and buried,” said James Dale, President of Panache Imports, the North American distributor of Wódka. “The age of overpaying — 50 dollars for a liter— is over.”
Now, liquor stores, bars and restaurants are outing overpriced vodka brands in favor of cheap chic. Wódka, which was recently ranked as one of the top-value vodkas, is now available throughout the country for as low as $9 per 750-ml bottle — half the price of a bottle of Absolut. And it’s not what you’d normally associated with bottom-shelf: Wódka is a triple-filtered, Lux grade rye spirit.
Wódka has gotten top marks from spirits-rating authorities across the board:
o Gold Medal, 90 Score and “Best Buy” award from the Beverage Testing Institute
o 90 Score from The Tasting Panel
o Highest Rating on SpiritsReview.com
o Tier 1 Ranking on Proof66.com
o Silver Medal in 2011 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
o Silver Medal in the SIP Awards
About Wódka: While walking through the Polmos Bialystock distillery in Eastern Poland, a relic from Poland’s communist era was discovered, Wodka Vodka. Polmos was a Polish state-owned monopoly that controlled the spirits market. Founded in the late 1920s, it was the leading vodka producer in Poland, mostly because the communist authorities forced all distilleries to become a part of the monopoly. The bottle that was found was pale blue with a tattered paper label indicating, simply “Wodka”. Although the generic label, “Wodka” meaning Vodka in Polish, is similar to what American’s would consider a blue label brand, Wodka is a traditional formula founded on the backs of the true founders of Vodka, the Polish people. This simple design and off-center, hand-stamped price screamed “old work and authentic” – a minimalism that led to the creation of a new brand of “Wodka”.
This crisp, clean vodka displays noticeable flavors of rye with a touch of minerality. This is definitely a solid vodka at an excellent value. The Red Curtain had the unsurpassed ability to drain the life force out of almost every living creature behind it; Wodka Vodka had the strength and quality to survive.
